Kotkamills’ fully recyclable Barrier Board took the first prize in the Urbanisation category of the New Tree 2017 competition. The winners of the competition were published on February 1st, 2017 in Helsinki.

Kotkamills' award in the Urbanisation category was received by CEO Markku Hämäläinen.

The target of the New Tree competition was to find wood-based material or solutions utilizing components of wood and responding to challenges posed by the massive global phenomena. The phenomena to which the New Tree project is responding to are Conscious consumption, Changes in population structure, Scarcity of resources, Digitisation and Urbanisation. The candidates of the competition were able to define themselves to which challenge category or categories their solution responds to. The competition was open for all companies and organizations operating in the wood-processing sector. Totally 21 wood-based solution proposals were made by the deadline.

In the Urbanisation category the first prize was given to Kotkamills’ fully recyclable Barrier Board. This paperboard solution does not include any PE plastic lining that would require specialized treatment facilities to separate the plastic layer from the cartonboard in the recycling process. The cups, plates and other containers produced from Kotkamills’ Barrier Board are easy to recycle along with normal paper waste. One of the consumer habit changes coming from the urbanisation is the increasing consumption of take away food. The disposable cups and plates made of this new type of board offer a sustainable solution to this challenge. The jury of the competition comments this product to be a welcome solution saving the nature.

The first prize of the overall New Tree 2017 competition and Conscious consumption category was won by wood fibre thread produced by Spinnova, a developer of textile fibres out of pulp. This thread is a sustainable alternative to both cotton and synthetic fibres.